Plastic Ladder

Plastic Ladder is a ladder building made of Plastic that provides the standard mobility and work-surface behavior of a ladder while taking on Plastic’s temperature limitations. Duplicants can jump up one tile to reach it, climb it, and stand on it while digging, building, and performing other tasks. Like other ladders, it does not count as a foundation for buildings, so it supports duplicant movement and work but not building placement in the same way a solid tile does.

Ladders have several important pathing and physical properties. Duplicants can walk on them, but if a ladder sits between two other tiles they will try to jump over it instead of treating it as the preferred path. They can also climb horizontal ladder arrangements as long as they can step onto the bottom or top and have one empty space above. With careful placement, duplicants can reach a 2x3 area around an L-shaped ladder arrangement, can access a ladder that begins one tile above the ground, and can cross a ladder with one tile of spacing between steps. They can dig two tiles away from a ladder, except diagonally.

Plastic Ladder emits -5 decor in a 1-tile radius. It also does not obstruct airflow, and both liquids and solid elements fall through it. Duplicants can even sleep on it, though it is not considered comfortable.

Because it is made of Plastic, heat management is the main caution when using Plastic Ladder. Plastic melts at 159.9°C, so it should not be used in high-temperature areas where it may liquefy and fail. The tooltip also mentions Plastic as antiseptic, but that property has no gameplay effect.

In practice, Plastic Ladder is most useful where rapid vertical access is needed in compact spaces and where its material cost is acceptable. It provides the same core mobility benefits as other ladders, while preserving open airflow and allowing liquids to pass through, making it useful in shafts, industrial layouts, and other areas where solid tiles would interfere with machinery or ventilation.